


Find out in this report how the two Configuration Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
Everything we've gained from it makes my job easier day after day, and I see value in it as an engineer.
Microsoft Intune not only saves costs by reducing the number of personnel needed but also offers a comprehensive solution for managing laptops, applications, security, individual access, and enrollment.
With Microsoft Intune, tasks such as device provisioning, policy deployment, application delivery, and compliance enforcement require less manual effort than in more traditional management models.
The return has been far more hours saved than spent.
We have seen significant improvement in the time and the way we make changes to the infrastructure.
I have seen a return on investment with Chef because we definitely need fewer employees to manage infrastructure.
Compared to other products, ManageEngine provides good return on investment within five years.
When a support ticket is submitted, it directly reaches someone with Intune support expertise.
When I contacted Microsoft, they had the same expertise, if not more, which is phenomenal because I felt heard and my problem was solved.
Sometimes, the support provided is excellent, and the representative is knowledgeable, while other times, the service needs improvement.
Chef codes, which are in Ruby language, are easily available on Chef Supermarket.
We usually work with the Chef teams and community support, who are always willing to assist.
You do not have to raise a ticket and wait for them to respond.
Customer service and support are excellent, with a perfect score of ten out of ten.
The technical support from ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is helpful.
The scalability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten.
Ideally, we want to automatically segregate devices based on user properties like primary use, but currently, dynamic groups seem limited to device properties.
It supports organizations with 200 endpoints and those with more than 15,000 endpoints.
We leverage both to achieve the best option possible for scaling.
Chef's scalability is evident as the public sector organization I work at serves a population of 5 million, and we have had no problems with scaling.
Server size actually depends on the number of clients, and you need to consider this during your setup.
Scalability requires downtime for performance adjustments.
The default instance, which most customers run, can take up to 5,000 endpoints.
We have not experienced downtime, bugs, or glitches.
It appears Microsoft Intune undergoes changes without informing customers.
In my experience, Microsoft Intune is a stable platform as it is a cloud-based service, and updates are regularly delivered by Microsoft.
It is a good tool to work with, offering a strong developer experience and community support.
Chef is stable.
In my experience, Chef is quite stable most of the time.
I have not had any downtime in six years.
The solution is very stable.
Features like unlocking devices sometimes fail, and the support offered for other operating systems is insufficient.
There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now.
Many third-party companies offer single-pane-of-glass reporting that shows you what your update environment looks like, how your patch is doing, application status, etc., but Intune's reporting is not intuitive.
On support, I think there should be more focus on how we can achieve AI automations in answering questions for beginners and addressing deep concerns without general manual management.
If they can remove the agent installation on the nodes and combine both the Chef server and workstation into one server, that will provide a significant benefit in cost for the clients.
To improve Chef, making an interface with another language such as Python or Java that is well understood, as capable as Ruby, and even more widely adopted would demystify it a bit.
When the patch testing works well, there is no need for patch management rollbacks.
Instead of separate technician licenses for each product, there should be a single bundled license to simplify licensing requirements.
You cannot create multiple tasks, which is another significant issue.
Introductory professional services, like a fast-track service, were included with our E5 membership, and there have been no additional costs.
The Intune suite and add-ons, such as batch management and remote help, are costly.
It costs approximately forty euros per user per month.
The licensing cost is zero for Chef if you are using the free version.
Licensing looks reasonable compared to the manual work of managing whole data centers with even 10,000 servers.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that we sidestepped it by using Cinc because none of the functionality that is exclusive to the paid version was actually in use in the organization.
Currently, I am paying around three dollars per agent per month.
There is a concern regarding the exchange rate as one dollar equals six reais today, making everything expensive in dollars for us.
ManageEngine's licensing model recently changed from being endpoint-based to server-based, which might affect costs during the next renewal.
Intune excels in configuration and compliance management for Windows 10, ensuring devices receive timely updates and adhere to organizational standards.
Dynamic groups allow us to set conditions for automatic membership, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual review and ensuring a seamless workflow.
Windows Autopatch is the most valuable because it removes the burden of patch management.
Security is a key aspect that Chef can automate, monitor new features that are available, and even do patches without you getting involved.
When you have infrastructure as code and you already have everything apart from the environment-specific config, which you can specify in variables, then it is not only more repeatable and reliable, it is faster.
Using Chef for automating infrastructure and applications in my organization has helped us reduce manual tasks by more than forty percent, thereby saving significant revenue for the client.
The software covers platform security and application security, ensuring everything is updated at the endpoint level.
Second, you get remote access capabilities, meaning you can take the device remotely and provide support, with the session recorded for playback if needed.
The vulnerability scanning highlights outdated PCs and users breaching policies.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Intune | 4.3% |
| Chef | 3.3% |
| ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus | 0.4% |
| Other | 92.0% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 191 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 63 |
| Large Enterprise | 187 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 3 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 20 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 11 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 3 |
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.
Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.
What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.
Chef is a powerful automation tool designed for efficient infrastructure management across varied environments. With its environment-as-code model, Chef provides predictability and reliability in deployments, enhancing security compliance and reducing manual intervention.
Chef focuses on automating deployments and configurations, ensuring server consistency, managing scalable environments, and orchestrating service deployments. Its versatile recipe-writing and Ruby-based flexibility cater to large-scale operational needs. Chef’s integration with services like AWS and Azure enhances its versatility, while its idempotent deployments assure reliability. Despite its prowess, Chef requires improvements in feature offerings, especially regarding container orchestration and cloud technologies.
What are Chef's Key Features?Chef is implemented across industries to automate application deployments, manage CI/CD pipelines, provision infrastructure, and maintain compliance. Its recipes and cookbooks streamline workflows in application deployment, system updates, and orchestration of services, reducing errors and manual intervention in a variety of sectors.
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus offers a comprehensive patch management solution with robust remote push capabilities, supporting both Windows and Linux environments for seamless integration.
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is noted for automation, ease of use, and detailed reporting. It secures platforms by patching Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications. Key features include automated deployment, vulnerability scanning, and rollback capabilities. Integration with Endpoint Central, Rapid7, and CrowdStrike enhances patch efforts. While valued for quick updates and performance, improvements are needed in reporting, user interaction, and testing. Better out-of-network patching support and end-user communication are necessary. Global scanning timings, simplified licensing, and easier management of customer-specific servers are areas for refinement. Supporting diverse operating systems and configurations requires focus, as complexity affects user experience. Pricing adjustments are advised.
What are the key features of ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?
What benefits should users expect from reviews?
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is pivotal in industries prioritizing security compliance and asset management. Organizations utilize its cross-platform patching for Windows, Mac, and Linux, alongside identifying vulnerabilities via Rapid7. Integration with SIEM solutions supports centralized monitoring of AWS EC2 servers and end-user systems.
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